Travelling to Peru (Part I)

Here is an email that I sent some weeks ago for a backpacker asking me for some advice... I think I will be helpful for other people. I you have some questions just ask here or to my profile at http://www.coushsurfing.com/

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Good news!! I've noticed that you'll be backpacking for 2 months here... it would be nice!!!!

First of all, if you want to travel, and have time, most destinations are reachable by bus. Please ask for the adequate companies for travel: there are many, but the best are Cruz del Sur and Ormeño, but there are several regional that are cheaper and safe also. It depends where you wanna go.

For the farthest locations, such as Rainforest, you should take a plane, especially to go to Iquitos (the only destination in Peru almost impossible to reach by bus), the biggest city in the jungle. You can reach Cusco by plane (1 hour) or bus 22 hours.

About prices, the most expensive bus ticket is around 30$ (Lima-Tumbes) most of them cost between 50 soles (15$ LIma-Huaraz) or 80 (Lima - Cajamarca) in the bus-bed service in the companies I'd mencioned before. Plane tickets are around 45$ to 70$ one way. It is a good practice to combine a long trip by bus and then go back to a big city by plane. I did it many times, for instance to go: Lima-Ayacucho-Andahuaylas-Abancay-Cusco-Puno (i did the route in June) or to Lima-Cajamarca-Chiclayo-Piura-Tumbes-Guayaquil-Montañita (The 2 last in Ecuador).

I strongly recommend you to pick up a map an locate the cities here!!! http://www.travour.com/travel-to-peru/tourist-map-of-peru.html This is the first part... then... what kind of tourism yo like the most? Natural, Archeological, Cities, Costumes… I have to go but then i will continue with the second part...